


Private Secretary

by imaginary_golux



Category: The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
Genre: Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22919491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: Csethiro figures out some things about how her husband's secretary feels about him...and decides to make sure Maia has as many people who love him around as possible.Beta by my Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw.
Relationships: Csevet Aisava/Csethiro Ceredin/Maia Drazhar
Comments: 29
Kudos: 120
Collections: February Ficlet Challenge 2020





	Private Secretary

Csethiro doesn’t think much about the Emperor’s secretary before her marriage. He’s just sort of...there, always in the background, impeccably dressed and perfectly blank-faced, like a sort of automaton. Court gossip has it that he used to be a courier, but court gossip is notoriously inaccurate; Csethiro pays as little attention to it as possible.

She starts figuring out how wrong she was to discount him the morning after her wedding. Maia asks, rather diffidently, if she would like to join him at breakfast, and Csethiro of course agrees. Mer Aisava is waiting for them, looking perfectly put together as usual, but _not_ as usual, in this much more private setting, Maia _smiles_ at him, and Mer Aisava smiles back, broad and unguarded and affectionate. And then he glances over at Csethiro, and schools his expression to proper blankness at once. Maia’s ears flatten, just a little.

Csethiro considers eight or ten different responses, all in a split second, reaffirms her quiet decision to do everything in her power to support her husband, and puts on her warmest smile, and holds out a hand. “Mer Aisava,” she says, putting as much welcome into the words as she can.

Mer Aisava’s ears come up slightly, and he bows over her hand like the seasoned courtier he is. “Zhasan,” he says, and when he straightens, he offers her and Maia both a proper smile. Maia relaxes a hair. “Serenity. We hope the morning finds you well.”

“It does, we thank you,” Maia says, and takes his seat, which means the rest of them can sit too.

Mer Aisava waits politely for them to be served breakfast - Maia greets the shy little serving maid by name, and thanks her, which is so utterly _Maia_ that Csethiro finds herself smiling stupidly at him - and then says, “While you are of course expected to be less available for the next few days, Serenity, there are a few matters which cannot be postponed.”

“Of course there are,” Maia says.

Csethiro is impressed by two things over the next hour or so of breakfast and paperwork. The first is the sheer _competence_ of Mer Aisava, who has everything laid out very clearly, in order of importance, with supporting documents as needed, and who has obviously spent some time making sure that nothing reaches the Emperor that _isn’t_ actually necessary for him to handle; and the second, to her shock and delight, is that Maia turns to her after the first problem is laid out before him and says, “Csethiro, hast thou any thoughts on the matter?”

And then he _listens_.

If there is anything as intoxicating as actually having her thoughts given _weight_ , Csethiro can’t imagine what it is.

*

Csethiro pays more attention to Mer Aisava after that, because competence like that is both useful and dangerous, and she wants Mer Aisava on her side. If he took against her - well, she can’t be set aside easily without evidence of barrenness, which goddesses willing will not be a problem, but if he decided he didn’t like her, he might very well be able to turn Maia’s _heart_ against her. Maia trusts him utterly, and Csethiro is not fool enough to discount that as a form of power.

Thankfully, Mer Aisava appears to be just as eager to be amicable with Csethiro as she is to be amiable with _him_. They are, she decides after a few days, both on _Maia’s_ side, and therefore they are allies, and both of them happy to be so. Still, she is a little careful around Mer Aisava, and he is, she thinks, a little careful around her. Neither of them wishes to trip over some unexpected fault line, and discover themselves at odds.

It is because Csethiro is watching Mer Aisava so closely, though, that she sees something that Maia, she is fairly sure, has not.

Mer Aisava is quite desperately in love with Maia.

He hasn’t done anything about it, and as far as Csethiro can tell, has no intention of ever doing so, which means she has a while to think about how she wants to react - if she wants to have any reaction at all. She could ignore her knowledge, and go on in the blithe assurance that Mer Aisava’s devotion to her husband will never waver, and be quite content.

But her husband is _Maia_ , and Maia deserves to be loved by as many people as possible, as often as possible, because Maia is an utter darling of a man, and Csethiro wants him to be happy. Perhaps she would feel differently were the devoted admirer anyone but Mer Aisava, but Mer Aisava is so _obviously_ working towards Maia’s happiness and the stability of his reign, just as Csethiro herself is, and also is - as a male secretary - no sort of threat to Csethiro’s own position as the empress, that she can’t find any jealousy in her heart. She looks quite carefully. But already she must share her husband with the world; how much better, then, to share him also with one who will cherish him as she does, and has done so for longer?

And Maia, she sees, watching carefully, holds Mer Aisava dearly close to his heart, values his advice highly and his good opinion even higher, and lights up - just a little, as much as Maia ever lets his emotions show - every time Mer Aisava compliments him or offers any sort of confidence. Csethiro ventures a question or two to her Aunt Arbelan and her dear friend Vedero, and after making sure she will not be angry, they both confirm that they have seen much the same.

Maia, of course, would never do anything that he might imagine could hurt her, and Mer Aisava knows his place very well, and will never let Maia know the truth of his heart, lest it bring some dishonor to his beloved Emperor. So if anyone is going to do anything about this situation, it’s going to have to be Csethiro.

She plans her attack with as much care as any general going into battle.

She picks her time very specifically: Maia is closeted with Lord Berenar, not speaking of any _current_ issues, but instead discussing some of the many, many things Maia _should_ have learned during his youth, and did not. Mer Aisava’s presence is not necessary during these lessons, and so he uses the time, wisely, in assembling notes about whatever nonsense the Corazhas is going to put in front of Maia next. It is one of the few times he is both not with Maia _and_ not with his small horde of undersecretaries. Csethiro rather thinks it’s one of the few times Mer Aisava can truly _relax_ , and feels a little guilty about interrupting him, but she has to do this _sometime_ , and better it not involve any witnesses.

Mer Aisava jumps to his feet when she enters the room, bowing hastily, and Csethiro smiles at him and closes the door behind her and takes a seat - not across the desk from him, but kitty-corner to him, neither looming over him nor attempting to play the supplicant. Mer Aisava sits down again, watching her warily.

“What may we do for you, zhasan?”

Csethiro smiles at him as warmly as she can. “We would be obliged if you would assume, first, that we are your...ally, at the very least, in the grand battle which is the protection of our husband’s happiness and safety.”

“We would never think you otherwise, zhasan,” Mer Aisava assures her. “We have seen how dearly you care for him, and how fiercely, too.”

“Very good,” Csethiro says. “Then we hope you will answer us in the assurance that we mean neither you, nor our husband any harm: do you love him?”

Mer Aisava goes quite white. “Zhasan,” he says, and swallows hard. “We…”

“We do not mean you any harm,” Csethiro says again, trying for the same gentleness she uses with her youngest sister. “We only wish to know if we are...if we are seeing things which are not there.”

Mer Aisava’s ears are as low as she’s ever seen anyone’s. “We would never act to dishonor His Serenity,” he says quietly.

“Oh, for the goddesses’ sake,” Csethiro says, her temper getting the better of her, as it always seems to. “Mer Aisava - _Csevet_ , I am trying to ask if thou love’st my husband, because he deserves to be loved, and if thou _dost_ , I am entirely happy to aid thee in telling him so, _without_ any dishonor whatsoever!”

There’s a brief silence, as Mer Aisava stares at her with wide eyes and his ears, very slowly, rise from abject despair to something more like hope. “Oh,” he says after a moment, and seeing the eloquent Mer Aisava reduced to monosyllables is honestly almost funny. “Well then. I shall tell thee plainly, Csethiro zhasan, as thou hast been plain with me: I love him to distraction.”

“Well,” Csethiro says, and sits back. “Good. Then thou and I canst figure out together how to convince _him_ that he can have what he desirest, without need to deny himself for honor and duty’s sake.”

Mer Aisava’s lips quirk. “Thou askest such a simple thing of me,” he says wryly, and Csethiro meets his eyes and finds herself smiling in return, and then they are both laughing, helplessly, until they are leaning against each other and panting for breath.

“We two shall figure it out,” Csethiro says at last, pulling herself upright and dusting her skirt off. Mer Aisava - no, Csevet now, no one who has shared such a laugh and such a secret with her can be merely a formal title anymore - stands and reaches out, slowly, to tidy her hair, and Csethiro bends her head and lets him.

“We _shall_ ,” Csevet says, a promise. “Though it may take me a little while to dare to speak my heart in _his_ presence.”

“And he is hardly cruel enough to force it from thee,” Csethiro agrees. “Still. We shall come up with something together.”

“I thank thee, Csethiro zhasan,” Csevet says quietly as she turns to go.

“And I thank _thee_ , Csevet Aisava,” Csethiro says, grinning at him, and they part - she is quite sure - as friends.

*

It isn’t simple, and it isn’t quick, because Maia is _Maia_ , dear stubborn dutiful Maia who will _always_ do the right thing, but Csevet somehow gets the nohecharei on their side, and Csethiro has a quiet word with the edocharei, who would all cheerfully die for their Emperor, and so there’s no one to look sideways at them, the night Csevet finally - _finally_ \- follows Maia and Csethiro into the Imperial bedchamber.

And Csethiro, grinning with the pride of a general who has won not only the battle but the war, goes off to have a long and pleasant bath while her husband and his secretary _finally_ have a little time alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FFC prompt "Sequel/prequel/deleted scene."


End file.
